AirAsia to Trichy

The attention Trichy receives now from International Airlines is increasing day by day. With the heels of the announcement of Air India Express connecting Trichy to Dubai and Singapore, AirAsia is looking to Connect Trichy to Kulalumpur with further connections to other South East Asian cities. This will not only have implications on Tourism but will have a great influence on Business climate.

More the connections through Air , more the business visibility of the city.

I and my wife Devi flew by Air Asia from Kuala Lumpur to Trichy on 15th June and returned on 25th June. We hired a taxi at Trichy airport and the driver was very obliging and pleasant. I would recommend him to any Air Asia passeger who wants to be met at Trichy airport and taken to their destinations. His name is Mohan and his cell phone no. is 98428727119.

AIRASIA X, plans to operate a “virtual hub” in the Gulf region over concerns that Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) will not meet a deadline to build a new permanent Low-Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) at KL International Airport in Sepang by 2011.

“It has been a year since the idea was mooted. So far there has yet to be any construction work or even groundbreaking of the new LCCT,” AirAsia X chief executive officer Azran Osman-Rani said at a media briefing in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

The long-haul sister airline of low-cost carrier AirAsia Bhd is concerned that with the delivery of new planes, the existing LCCT will not be able to cope.

The carrier is poised to take delivery of three A330 this year, three in 2010 and six more the following year.

“There won’t be enough parking bays if the new LCCT is not completed. Thus, by creating such a virtual hub, it will relieve some of the pressure of having the planes based in Kuala Lumpur,” he said.

According to Azran, the carrier has identified the Middle Eastern airport it intends to turn into a virtual hub to help it expand to northern Africa and Europe.

Early this week, it was reported that the carrier might fly into either Sharjah or Abu Dhabi sometime this year.

“We are now trying to find a date (for the announcement). Our Middle East partners are very excited about it,” he said.

At the briefing, Azran also said that the carrier aims to fly to the Middle East by November and start selling tickets to the destination before the fasting month.

Apart from the Middle East, Azran said, the airline also plans to fly to India, Japan next year, and other cities in China, like Chengdu, soon.

He said the airline will also increase flight frequencies on the existing routes such as to Taipei, Taiwan, and the Gold Coast, Melbourne and Perth in Australia.

AirAsia X will increase the flight capacity to the Gold Coast by 50 per cent and Taipei by 40 per cent, when the new planes are delivered, he said.

“We also expect to increase flights to Melbourne and Perth from the current daily flight to twice a day on some of the days by October and November.”